Six people have been charged in Oslo in connection with the theft of Edvard Munch's painting The Scream.

The masterpiece, along with another work, Madonna, was taken in a daylight raid on the Norwegian capital's Munch Museum in August 2004.

Neither work has been seen since, despite an international search and the offer of a reward.

Five people are charged with theft, one is charged with receiving stolen goods. They will stand trial in February.

None of the six people has been identified. If convicted, the five charged with theft could face up to 17 years in prison, and the sixth could face six years.

State prosecutor Terje Nyobe said the indictment reads "grand theft committed as part of the activities of an organised crime group".

In the robbery, two masked gunmen walked into the museum past terrified tourists, pulled the pictures from the wall and drove off in a car driven by a third man, before switching to another getaway car.